Stacking containers



Nov. 30, 1965 A. A. SWANE 3,220,633

STACKING CONTAINERS Filed March 27. 1964 IN VENTOR.

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BYWMAJL, MML f United States Patent 3,220,633 STACKING CONTAINERS Albertus Antonius Swane, Vught, North Brabant, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Maatschappij tot Exploiteren van Octrooien en Licenties Matepa, s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands Filed Mar. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 355,327 Claims priority, appiication Netherlands, Apr. 1, 1963, 290,973 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-49) The present invention relates to a stacking container Composed of a container bottom and container walls hinged thereto, and of means for fixing the adjoining ends of the container walls placed normal to the container bottom.

It is an object of this invention to impart the greatest possible rigidness to such a container by means of simple and low-cost means.

To achieve this the stacking container, according to the invention, has each of its bottom corners provided with a bottom corner band, each side of which lying against the outer faces of the adjoining ends of the container walls is provided with a cam fitting an opening in the adjoining container wall with a lip extending inwardly of the container, there being inserted a corner block between the inner faces of the adjoining container walls and the facing band lips which is supported by the bottom of the container.

In illustration of the invention an embodiment of the stacking container will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a partially assembled stacking container;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective View of an upper corner cramp;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a bottom corner band;

FIGURE 4 is a top view of one of the corners of the stacking container;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken along the line V V in FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings, the manufacture of a stacking container is started from a blank comprising a container bottom 1 and container walls 2 hinged thereto, which are all preferably made of hardboard.

The container walls 2 have slits 3 and openings 4 adjacent their ends.

After two adjoining container walls 2 have been positioned normal to the container bottom 1, upper corner cramps 5 are inserted into the slits 3, and bottom corner bands 6 are mounted to the outside of the bottom corner. The bottom corner band 6 carries a cam 7 on the sides that are in contact with the outside of the container walls 2, which cam 7 accurately fits the opening 4 of the adjoining container wall 2 and has its inner face disposed in one plane with the inner face of the container wall.

Patented Nov. 30, 1965 The cams 7 of the bottom corner band 6 are provided with lips 8 facing each other.

In this stage of the assemblage of the stacking container a corner block 9 is first axially inserted through the upper corner cramp 5 and then behind the lips 8 of the bottom corner band 6 so that said corner block 9 will come to rest on the corner of the container bottom 1 and the side 10 of the corner band supporting it.

After the other container walls have been positioned normal to the container bottom the corner joints between the adjoining container walls are effected in the same manner.

In the assembled stacking container the cams 7 of each bottom corner band 6 have two important functions. As they accurately fit the container wall openings 4 receiving them, they prevent the container walls from tilting relative to each other within their own plane. Furthermore the axial pressure on the corner blocks is also taken up by the container walls, as a result of which the angular points of the container bottom are appreciably relieved. This is especially advantageous when a stack of filled containers with the corner blocks placed one on the other is transported by means of a fork lift truck, the bottom of the lowermost container of the stack being supported by the fork teeth of the truck between the corner blocks, as a consequence of which the superimposed corner blocks with the full load of the stack are carried by the non-supported angular points of the bottom of the lowermost container. As is shown in the drawings the side walls of the corner band 6 may be extended beyond the corner band part 10 to create abutments that prevent the stacked containers from moving laterally.

Furthermore it is of course possible to select the length of the corner blocks so that these blocks either project above the container walls or not.

I claim:

A stacking container composed of a container bottom and container walls hinged thereto, and of means for fixing the adjoining ends of the container walls placed normal to the container bottom, characterized in that each bottom corner of the container is provided with a bottom corner band, each side of which lying against the outer faces of the adjoining ends of the container walls is provided with a cam fitting an opening in the adjoining container wall, with a lip extending inwardly of the container, there being inserted a corner block between the inner faces of the adjoining container walls and the facing band lips which is supported by the bottom of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 775,090 11/1904 Pilz 229-49 2,310,136 2/1943 Van Wingen 229-49 JOSEPH R, LECLAIR, Primary Examiner, 

